The Secret of Growing Bigger and Smaller

Lily Evans's hand recoiled as if she'd been shocked by electricity, causing her to lose her balance and fall backward.

Lily Evans cried out, bracing herself for a hard fall. But instead, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and she landed against a sturdy body.

"Wife, are you hurt?" Lily Evans opened her eyes and saw Lucky had fallen to the ground, but had protected her perfectly—she wasn't hurt at all.

Lily Evans's face burned with embarrassment, and she quickly scrambled up from the ground. Lucky also got up, and Lily noticed his back was injured.

Seeing Lucky hurt, Lily Evans forgot her shyness and hurriedly told him to turn around so she could check. His back was scratched by wood chips on the ground, leaving several small wounds.

"Lucky, does it hurt?" Lily Evans asked softly, stroking his head with concern.

Lucky nodded pitifully, "It hurts, it hurts everywhere! But if Wife kisses me, it won't hurt anymore."

"Lie down, I'll clean your wounds." Lily Evans couldn't help but laugh—clearly they were just small scratches, but her silly husband was being so dramatic, even learning to act cute.

"Lily, Lucky, what are you two doing in the woodshed?" The commotion finally drew Margaret Evans over.

"Mom, it's nothing..." Lily Evans replied, feeling a bit guilty.

Unexpectedly, Lucky shouted happily, "Mom, Wife is giving me a bath!"

Margaret Evans nearly fainted. Sure, they were married, but in broad daylight...

Lily Evans's face was so red it looked like she might bleed from embarrassment.

"Lucky, you—" Margaret Evans was so flustered she didn't know what to say.

Lucky blinked innocently, "Wife said to lie down and let her clean my wounds. Mom, come look, I got hurt protecting Wife!"

Margaret Evans's heart softened at Lucky's words. She sighed, "Lucky, you silly boy, always thinking of Lily first."

Lily Evans cleaned Lucky's wounds, then applied some homemade ointment. Lucky lay obediently, occasionally glancing up at Lily Evans with puppy-dog eyes.

"Lucky, don't move," Lily Evans scolded, but her tone was gentle.

Margaret Evans watched the two and couldn't help but smile. "Lily, Lucky really does care about you. You must cherish each other."

Lily Evans nodded, feeling a warmth in her heart she hadn't felt in a long time.

Margaret Evans, unable to bear any more, covered her ears and ran out of the house.

Lily Evans felt utterly defeated inside. Now, even if she jumped into the Yellow River, she couldn't wash this shame away.

With a look of utter despair, Lily Evans finished cleaning Lucky's wounds. Lucky, noticing the area was back to normal, happily showed Lily Evans. "Wife, look, it's smaller again! It doesn't hurt anymore!"

Lily Evans shot him a look, too tired to argue anymore. She felt like she was about to break out in hives...

"Wife, it's big again, big again!" Lucky was no longer afraid, as if he'd discovered a new continent, excitedly sharing his secret with Lily Evans.

Lily Evans was speechless. She swore she'd only glanced at him for a second—just a second! How did it get big again?

"Whenever Wife looks at me, it gets big." Lucky's logic was refreshingly simple, then he had a sudden realization: "It must be Wife's treasure, so it listens to Wife! Wife, am I right? See, I'm not foolish—I know it's Wife's precious thing, so I'll hide it for her and only perform magic tricks for Wife."

"Yes... you're not foolish..." Lily Evans was limp all over. What Lucky said, strangely, was impossible to refute.

Lily Evans told Lucky to bathe himself, then took his dirty clothes and left the woodshed.

Entering the main house, Margaret Evans was clearly in a great mood, happily folding clothes. "Lily, I finally have something to look forward to. I feel so refreshed now."

"Mom, what are you looking forward to?"

"Having grandchildren, of course!"

Lily Evans: ...